FireAssays.com

[Sad Prospector]

I have heard that there are special soap products that are available that are better at removing lead from hands when washing. How do these products work? Are they more effective that regular soap?

[DrCraner]

I will respond to this soon--sorry for the delay.
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James Craner, MD, MPH

[DChartre]

[chrisrich]

I don't know what brand to recommend myself but have a look at D-lead. It's the first thing that comes up on a Google search for lead soap.

Be sure to look at what's in these sorts of soap though....granted lead poisoning is deadly but these days you sure want to know what you're body is soaking up from industrial soaps like this.
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The best place to find a... rock crusher as well as road & bridge heavy industry equipment.

[fireguy]

[odin66669]

Isn't dangerous to manipulate lead with your bare hands, we use always latex gloves to avoid as much as possible to contact with lead, you will be surprised of how fast your blood level gets to 30 ug/dl if you don't use proper protection

[DrCraner]

There are a number of posts on this topic. Assuming we are concerned with litharge (lead oxide) and not other forms of lead, the main questions are:
(1) Can, and to what extent, does Lead get absorbed directly through the skin?
(2) What is the most effective means of removal of lead from the hands or other contaminated skin?

(1) Although most occupational medicine texts describe inorganic lead absorption via skin as negligible compared to inhalation or ingestion, there is actually very little research on this subject. Most of the experimental research has been done with lead salts (e.g., lead nitrate) which is not relevant to litharge. Experiments performed on laboratory animals are unreliable in extrapolating to human occupational exposures (and are also inhumane). What is well established, however, is that lead contamination on skin (mostly hands) significantly increases the risk of secondary ingestion or inhalation when food, beverages, or cigarettes are consumed. Basic handwashing with soap and water has been shown to be relatively effective at reducing such exposures.

(2) The question of whether a chelating agent (i.e., one that chemically binds metals) or proprietary soap/detergent product such as D-Lead(R) is more effective than ordinary hand soap or standard industrial hand cleaner. The latter contain various ingredients to assist in the mechanical removal of contaminants from the outer layer of the skin. This important industrial hygiene and occupational medicine questions has not received the research attention it deserves. Esca Tech, Inc., the manufacturer of D-Lead, cites one published article from 1997 on its web site. The study was limited in scope and did not utilize a reliable set of control subjects or measure effects over time.

These are important questions for people employed in the fire assay and related precious metals industry. I plan to conduct further research on these two related questions and will post a more detailed response in the near future. Please continue to post your own thoughts and experiences on this topic.
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James Craner, MD, MPH

[fireguy]